Display merchandisers, also commonly referred to as display cases or display cabinets, are widely used in merchandising products in department stores, bakeries, groceries, supermarkets, convenience stores and other retail establishments. Such merchandisers commonly have a glass front, and often also a glass top and even glass sides, through which consumers may view the products displayed within the merchandiser. Non-refrigerated display merchandisers are commonly used to display a wide range of products, including for example, jewelry, toys, electronic devices, baked goods, bottled and canned beverages. Refrigerated display merchandisers are commonly used to display perishable and frozen comestibles and beverages, including for example meats, poultry, fish, diary products, prepackaged frozen foods, cold bottled and canned beverages and other products that need to be maintained in a controlled environment.
It is well appreciated that illuminating the product displayed within the merchandiser can enhance the appearance of the displayed product to the consumer. Accordingly, both refrigerated and non-refrigerated display cases have often been equipped with lights placed within the interior of the cabinet to illuminate the product. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,529 discloses a non-refrigerated display case for food items, such as baked goods, wherein the interior of the cabinet is illuminated by a plurality of vertically arrayed incandescent lamps disposed in the rear corners of the cabinet and by a plurality of horizontally disposed, vertically spaced fluorescent lamps extending across the front of the cabinet. A front lighted display case, for displaying jewelry and the like, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,876, has a single, horizontally extending fluorescent light mounted at the upper front of the cabinet for illuminating product displayed therein. U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,516 discloses a display case for displaying scale models wherein the cabinet is illuminated by a plurality of low wattage lamps extending around the entire upper periphery of the interior of the cabinet.
Similarly, refrigerated display merchandisers, such as those commonly used in supermarkets, convenience stores, delis, fast food restaurants, and other commercial establishments to display refrigerated or frozen products for self-service selection, are customarily equipped with fluorescent lights to illuminate the product disposed on shelves within the merchandiser. U.S. Pat. No. 5,508,898 discloses an open-front refrigerated display case for food products wherein a pair of horizontally extending fluorescent lamps is disposed at the upper front of the cabinet with an associated reflector which directs the light from the lamps downwardly and into the cabinet to illuminate the forwardly-sloping shelves therein. Additionally, a horizontally extending fluorescent lamp is mounted to the underside of each shelve near the forward edge thereof with an associated reflector to illuminate that the next shelf there below and the region below the lowermost shelf.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,754 discloses a two-door, glass door, cold beverage merchandiser wherein a horizontally extending fluorescent lamp is mounted in a forward position in an upper region of the interior of the cabinet to illuminate the sloping shelves therein. Further, a horizontally extending fluorescent lamp is disposed in a separate compartment in association with a sign disposed at the upper front of the merchandiser so as to illuminate the sign. Glass-door, cold beverage merchandisers are also available that include a single horizontally-extending fluorescent lamp disposed at the upper front of the cabinet interior to light a sign disposed along the upper front of the cabinet, as well as illuminate shelves there below. A reflector is typically provided in association with the lamp to aid in directing light from the lamp downwardly toward the shelves.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,699,676 and 5,937,666 disclose a stand-alone double door, glass door, refrigerated merchandiser wherein a vertically extending fluorescent lamp is mounted to each door so as to extend along the respective sides thereof at a front corner of the cabinet to provide light to illuminate the interior of the cabinet. U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,108 discloses a stand-alone double door, glass door, refrigerated merchandiser wherein each door is provided with a pair of vertically extending fluorescent lamps and a pair of horizontally extending fluorescent lamps mounted about the perimeter of the inwardly facing surface of the door to light the interior of the merchandiser cabinet. U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,189 discloses a hexagonally-sided refrigerated merchandiser wherein three vertically extending fluorescent lamps are disposed in the wall of the cabinet at equally spaced intervals about the periphery of the interior of the cabinet to illuminate the horizontal shelves therein.
It is also known in the art with respect to multiple door refrigerated merchandisers to mount a vertically extending fluorescent lamp to the inwardly facing surface of a structural member, commonly referred to as a mullion, of the door frame assembly extending vertically between each set of doors to illuminate the interior of the merchandiser. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,978 discloses a stand-alone, two door, refrigerated display case having a central support mullion having an outwardly facing surface against which the doors close and an inwardly facing surface on which are mounted a pair of vertically extending fluorescent lamps for illuminating product disposed on shelves within the interior of the display case. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,941,289; 5,016,146 and 5,645,330 each disclose a door assembly for mounting within an opening in a wall of a refrigerated cabinet, the door assembly including a frame having a vertically extending support mullion between each set of doors mounted to the frame. A vertically extending fluorescent lamp is mounted to the inwardly facing surface of each mullion for illuminating the interior of the cabinet. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,863, a multiple door, glass-door display case is disclosed wherein vertically extending fluorescent lamps are disposed near both front corners and between the doors of the display case to illuminate a plurality of horizontal shelves.
Such lighting systems typically do not uniformly illuminate the interior of the cabinet, but rather more intensely illuminate regions closer to the lamp or lamps, while less intensely lighting regions more distant from the lamp. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,372, a glass door refrigerated merchandiser is disclosed having a door assembly comprising a pair of insulated glass doors mounted for swinging movement in a door frame mounted within an opening in the front wall of the cabinet. The door frame includes a vertically extending center mullion. To illuminate product on shelves within the refrigerated merchandiser, a vertically extending light fixture is mounted to and rearward of the door frame along each side of the frame and a central vertically extending light fixture is mounted to and rearward of the center mullion. Each light fixture includes a vertically extending fluorescent lamp within in a uniquely constructed light refracting/reflecting lens mounted to a base member. A V-shaped reflector is mounted to the base member in back of the lamp with its apex pointing toward the bulb. Although effective in substantially uniformly distributing light into the interior of the merchandiser, such a lighting system is relatively expensive due to the number of lamps and the elaborate lenses required.